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Ajit Jain in Toronto
Canadian Minister for Transport David Collenette has announced a new rule requiring cockpit doors to be locked at all times on all domestic and international flights.
The new rule announced on Tuesday said cockpit doors must be locked from the time the aircraft's doors close and until it lands.
It has also been revealed in a published report that armed Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers, dressed in civilian clothes, will now fly on Canadian commercial airliners to protect passengers from terrorists and hijackers.
"We are not releasing any detail other than that these officers are on some flights," said RCMP Corporal Benoit Desjardins.
The new security measures follow last week's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
The only flights from Canadian international airports that routinely have armed officers are the commercial El Al Israeli flights, which are designated as military in nature.
To check the security of Canadian commercial airlines, Federal department of transport inspectors conducted 376 "infiltration tests" between May, 2000 to May, 2001 and in 69 cases they were able to walk through security with dummy weapons concealed in their clothes or carry-on belongings.
New regulations also forbid passengers to carry a knife or knife-like object.
The Canadian Sikh Council has advised all Sikhs in the country that while flying on commercial airliners they should "co-operate fully with security personnel when they perform extra checks."
Through a 10-point advisory they have also been told to "be extremely careful not to display the kirpan publicly."
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